Featured photo LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 04: Roger Taylor unveils Westminster Council’s commemorative plaque on December 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan for Universal Music) LONDON: December 4, 2019 — Britain’s rich music heritage was celebrated yesterday with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the site of Europe’s first recording… Read more »
Nipper and His Master’s Voice – a little history By David Hughes MBE – Trustee of EMI Archive Trust. Dear old Nipper! His importance and significance to the music business has inevitably faded in recent years but his was the face that launched a million records. Not only that, the name of the painting gave… Read more »
Queen Mary’s Doll’s House Gramophone The 78 record pictured (top) was made specially for the Queen’s Doll’s House. It measures just 3.4cm across and plays ‘God Save The King’. By David Hughes MBE – Trustee of EMI Archive Trust. Surely, as a child or adult, you will have visited Windsor Castle, the current Queen’s favourite… Read more »
We are proud to announce the unveiling of this new memorial to eleven unsung war heroes, including the inventor of stereo recording, Alan Dower Blumlein, who lost their lives testing airborne radar in 1942. Blumlein, with 128 patents to his name at only 39 years of age, was a tragic loss to his young family… Read more »
‘Nipper Runs Amok’ By David Hughes MBE – Trustee of EMI Archive Trust. Archives and secrets go together, and the EMI archive is no exception. Archives are not visitor attractions; they are not laid out beautifully in lovely display cabinets. The key words are preservation and safety. Initially, presumably, for good business practice, The Gramophone… Read more »
In honour of all those who lost their lives in the First World War. • Recording: Gas shell bombardment • Royal Garrison Artillery • Record: HMV 09308 • Company: The Gramophone Company • Location: Lille, near France • Date of recording: 9th October 1918 • Recorded by: William Gaisberg • Type of disc: 12-inch single… Read more »
Gauhar Jaan – The Datia Incident is a historical re-imagining of a key part in the remarkable story of India’s first recording artist. It follows young American recording engineer Fred Gaisberg (Jordon Kemp) journey to India to record Gauhar Jaan (Sheetal Kapoor) acclaimed voice for the British Gramophone Company. On his journey, he is told… Read more »
Throughout April, the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham will be hosting a play and exhibition revolving around the remarkable story of India’s first recording artist, supported by The EMI Archive Trust, The British Library and The Arts Council England. Mukul & Ghetto Tigers, an East London theatre company present Gauhar Jaan – The Datia Incident. A tale interwoven with… Read more »
LONDON, February 8, 2018 – Universal Music is proud to announce that pioneering EMI engineer Alan Dower Blumlein’s ground-breaking invention of stereo sound is being celebrated as part of a major campaign launched by the UK government, marking the 400th anniversary of the grant of British patent number one. The campaign, titled ‘GREAT for Imagination’,… Read more »
Christabel Pankhurst, a leading Suffragette, was one of the primary strategists of the campaign for women’s right to vote in the first decades of the twentieth century. Christabel was jailed in 1907 and 1909 and was dubbed the ‘Queen of the Mob’ by the media, as described in this contemporary press release. Miss Christabel Pankhurst… Read more »